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the moment. His voice sounded gruff and a little shaky when he said, "Please, Maggie, don't think for a second that I'm not interested in your offer. I'd take you up on it so fast it would make your head spin if I had a cent to give you. But I don't. "
    "You don't have any money on you at all?"
    "Not a cent. I'm sorry. "
    "Oh. "
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    For some reason, the way she said that made him smile again. "You can always get help from the mission.
    Most towns have one, and a woman with a baby will get red-carpet treatment. "
    She shook her head. "I can't go somewhere like that. "
    "Why? If you're feeling embarrassed, don't. Everyone needs help sometimes. "
    "It isn't that. I'm just—" She broke off and shook her head again. "There may be people looking for me. "
    He tightened his arms, wanting to hug her and the baby close to protect them. Who might be looking for her? Jesus. Was it the cops? He burned to ask, but two years of this kind of life had taught him not to ask too many questions. And since he doubted she'd answer anyway, why bother? Even if she was wanted by the cops, he couldn't believe it was for anything serious.
    He drew her gently against him. "I'll tell you what. Why don't you get some rest? While you're sleeping, I'll think of some way for you to get help. "
    "I can't go around lots of people, " she stressed.
    "I understand that. I'll think of something. Trust me. " He smiled slightly. "I'm an old hand at this lifestyle, remember. I know all the ropes. "
    To his surprise, she gave in to the slight pressure of his arms, twisting sideways to rest her cheek against his chest, the baby's tiny feet nudging his abdomen. Rafe wanted to think she followed his advice because she was beginning to trust him, but he suspected it was exhaustion getting the best of her.
    Within seconds he felt the tension leave her body. He gazed down at her, thinking how sweet she looked with her relaxed mouth pushed slightly off center. He touched a fingertip to her pale cheek, testing the fragile curve of bone under her soft, silken flesh.
    When he felt positive she was deeply asleep, he reached inside his shirt and drew out his wedding ring.
    The setting of large, fiery diamonds glinted at him in

    38 CATHERINE ANDERSON
    the thin morning light, a reminder of why he wore it hidden on a chain under his shirt. Flashing diamonds on a boxcar was a good way to get your throat slit.
    Susan. Against all his objections, she'd worked in a hamburger joint to pay for this ring, insisting she had to buy him something as nice as he'd gotten her, and that she had to pay for it herself. The purchase price had been a little over four grand. It was anyone's guess what it might be worth now. Pawnshops were notorious for paying a fraction of an item's value. Still, he figured he could get several hundred dollars for it.
    He made a fist around the ring and closed his eyes. He couldn't hock it. His wedding ring was his last link to Susan and his past, the one thing left to him that he treasured. In the two years since he'd been bumming the rails, he'd seen some mighty lean times, but never once had he considered hocking his ring.
    Maggie and her baby weren't his problem. When they reached the next town, he'd give her his coat. That was the best he could do for her. Clenching his teeth, Rafe slipped the ring back inside his shirt where it could rest close to his heart. As it settled against his chest, he imagined he could hear Susan chiding him.
    Oh, Rafe. It's just a ring. Can you really turn your back on a baby?
    As the imagined whisper grew clearer in his mind, Rafe could finally conjure a picture of his wife's face. It had been so long since he'd been able to remember exactly how she looked that he let his head rest against the wall and closed his eyes, smiling as he traced each of her features. Dear God, how very much he had loved her.
    Susan. He knew if she were here, she'd hock that ring in a heartbeat to feed a hungry baby. In a way, Maggie reminded